The U.S. Army has a new officer from the University of Louisville.

Second Lt. Samuel Fox of the Cardinal Battalion ROTC became a commissioned officer Dec. 14 in a ceremony at Chao Auditorium.

Fox, an electrical engineering major, is going on to be an active duty soldier serving in the Signal Corps.

One of his highlights at UofL was his participation in River City Rocketry, the Speed School’s award-winning rocket team that competes annually in the NASA Student Launch Initiative. Fox worked on the electrical systems for the payload.

Fox’s mother and fiancee “pinned” the new officer.

Family, friends, ROTC officers and cadets, faculty members and deans attended the tradition-laden ceremony. Fox’s parents and fiancée pinned gold bars to his uniform signifying his new rank and his sister, also in the Army, gave him his first salute as an officer.

UofL’s Army ROTC has commissioned more than 400 officers during its three-decade history.

According to the Army, the Army ROTC produces more than 5,000 commissioned officers each year, or approximately 70 percent of the officers entering the Army nationwide. Nearly 1,000 college campuses nationwide offer ROTC programs.

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Janet Cappiello covers student success for the Office of Communications and Marketing. She has more than 30 years’ experience in journalism, including working for The Associated Press and magazines such as Vegetarian Times and Sustainability: The Journal of Record. She has been at UofL since 2014.